The project, expected to break ground this winter, will add a new front entry, seven classrooms, five science labs and a student commons. The Newport News private school has already raised $5 million during the campaign's "quiet phase," and is now expanding its efforts to gain further support.

Headmaster Peter W. Mertz said he is confident the money will be raised in time to have the facility ready for use by fall of 2013.

Supporters said they think it won't be difficult to raise the additional funds.

"I think we have a high level of dedication," alumna Susan Freeman Bryant said.

Dr. Steven Scott, a cardiothoracic surgeon with Riverside Health System, said it is advantageous for businesses to support the academy because good schools will help recruit people to the area.

He said he supports the academy not just for his three children who attend, but for future generations.

"It's our duty to leave things better than when we arrived," he said.

The long-range goal for the academy is to continue the campaign in multiple phases, Mertz said. Depending on the success of the support, over the next several years they hope to build a full-service dining facility and at least six more classrooms. They hope to recruit additional faculty and students, too.

In addition to contributions from individuals and private foundations, early project donors on the Peninsula include Ferguson Enterprises; Old Point National Bank; TowneBank; Riverside Health System; and W.M. Jordan Company.